You Baby Gorilla.

Manny Being Manny Being A Surprisingly Sane Person
or
Morons Being Morons With No Perspective

So yesterday Manny Ramirez was quoted in the Boston Globe as saying:

"We're just going to go have fun and play the game," he said. "That's it. If we go play hard and the thing doesn't come like it's supposed to come, we'll move on. We'll come next year. Why should we panic? We've got a great team. If it doesn't happen, good. We'll come next year and try to do it again.

"We're confident every day. It doesn't matter how things go for you. We're not going to give up. We're just going to go and play the game, like I've said, and move on. If it doesn't happen, so who cares? There's always next year. It's not like the end of the world or something."

That's the full quote. But if you listen to sports radio/watch sports commentary on tv/read sports blogs, all you'll hear about is the last two sentences. "If it doesn't happen, so who cares? There's always next year. It's not like the end of the world or something."

Not only is this all of a sudden the number one story in the sports world, people are LOSING THEIR MINDS over it. Talking about how Derek Jeter would never say that, how Manny only cares about himself and not about his team and its fans, how it's another example of modern athletes being no good money grubbing jerks, and on, and on.

That reaction, to me, is the real story. It magnifies and highlights how completely, pathetically out of touch people are. Because when it comes down to it, he's 100% right. And I'm not a huge Manny supporter by any means. I'm also the furthest thing from a jock-basher, or the type of person to look down my nose at peoples devotion to sports. I spend a ridiculous amount of time every day reading about and watching/listening to sports, not to mention all the hours agonizing over upcoming games to decide who to bet on and who to put in on my various fantasy teams. But if I step back for a second, it's all just a pastime, a distraction, something entertaining to help me get through the day. Sure, I get bent out of shape when my teams lose, and overexcited when they win. But if I were to list out my priorities in life, the win/loss record of a team of professional strangers is pretty far from the top.

I think sports are totally awesome, and I'm generally wary of people who have absolutely zero interest in sports (as they might be some kind of pod-people body snatchers), but, and I mean this in the least condescending way possible, I have a life. You know, my own life, that goes on regardless of what happens on the field/court/rink/croquet lawn.

I can promise you Derek Jeter isn't still sitting shiva in the Yankee clubhouse, single tear after single tear rolling down his cheek. And I doubt Posada has locked himself in his room listening to his Bauhaus records while cutting himself. "A drop of blood for every loss..."
And especially motherfuck sportscasters who condemn Manny for a) being honest and b) having a balanced head about the whole thing. Bunch of loser wannabe athletes that couldn't hack it so they bitch about meaningless shit like this. To people like me...who tune in every day...and who would kill to be paid to bitch about sports...

I'm not trying to say I'm above all this, but it's so lame that when a ballplayer finally really says what's up, everyone crucifies him for it.
Get a fucking life, yeesh.

Oh and go Tribe.